Angelic Assistance
by LOSTrocker
Summary: In the 70s, John Winchester tries to get his nerve up to ask out Mary Campbell with the help of his best friends: Gabriel Novak.


**A/N:** I love past!John and past!Mary and been dying to do a piece for them ever since I saw "In the Beginning" but really didn't want to write anything until I got season five under my belt, which I proudly say that I do now! Hence lack of writing and posting along with other reason. This takes place back in the 70's.

**Angelic Assistance: **

By: LOSTrocker

All Right Now by Free played on from a juke box in the corner of a small diner called Good Times. It was a Friday afternoon, and like every Friday before that John Winchester and his best friend Gabriel Novak sat in their usual booth in the middle of the diner.

Gabriel caught John gawking at the girl again. Correction, John Winchester would say. This wasn't just any girl. This was Mary Campbell. The girl he's been in love with since high school, but never did anything about. Of course, his most his excuse was Nam, but he was home now. He didn't need that excuse, except he was a chicken shit.

The boys were at the diner, not just any one but the one where Miss Mary worked. John came in every Friday at the same time. Gabriel Novak, his best bud was here for moral support, and to make fun of him. Which he was doing now.

"Mary and John, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Gabriel sang loud enough for the two tables behind him.

Gabe got smacked on the arm for that one. "What?" he asked innocently enough, wiggling those eye brows of his eyes.

"Shut up Novak," John warned him.

"Oh, solider boy just threatened me. I'm scared." Gabriel teased him, faked a shiver. He just cleared his throat and continued to sing because really, John Winchester didn't scare him. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Mary with a baby carriage!" There was a pause. "Or two."

John glared it him. Why did Gabriel have to be such a dick? That was an easy answer, one that John wouldn't figure out until years later: his friend may look human but he was far from it. He was an Angel of the Lord, well, use to be before he decided to take a detour trip down here to play among the humans for a little while. Unlike his family, Gabriel actually the humans. They were so facilitating, especially at moments like this when love came a calling. Gabriel had been called many things in his day, he wasn't just an Angel, or John Winchester's best bud, but he was also playing cupid for these two. He's seen the future of these two, and all though they wouldn't see it, it was their sons: Sam and Dean Winchester that he wanted to be the one responsible for. He'd met Dean and all though the guy could be a real pain in his ass, he was fun. That's why he loved to toy with him. As for Sammy, well that's the one that really matter. At least to Gabriel, their future also depended on these two love birds getting it on. Sure, there was the end of the world, but they would stop it, and when they did, him and Sam could play house for a good long while. He was here for this particular purpose. However, he was also here to guard their fine asses. There were others out there all ready planning their demise. Gabriel wouldn't have it.

"What did you say?" John snapped at his friend, catching the two at the end of his funny song.

"Chill Johnny B. Good," replied Gabriel, taking a swing of his cherry pop.

"It's John," John corrected. God, how he hated it when Gabriel called him that because that damned nick name was starting to catch on. "Just John." John Winchester was too sweet for play.

Not Gabriel though. He laughed. "Look, I'm just saying, it's not doing no good to sit. You've got to do something."

"No," John settled back down in the booth, crossing his arms over his chest. "What would Miss Mary want with a boy like me uh? A welcome home solider boy that's more damaged than he liked to admit."

"Oh puh-lease, you're not broken," Gabriel said. "Look at you, you're doing fine as far as I can tell. You've gotten a job with Singer at his Garage, and working on getting a car. Besides, if you're 'broken' nothing like a lady friend to put you all back together again."

"I have my baggage,"John reminded him. Nam wasn't pretty. Then there was that small itty bitty factor that his family, or lack there of didn't have anything to do with him since they tossed him out. That's why he went to war in the first place.

Gabriel gave him a small smile. Geez, really, like father like son. It wasn't Dean that Gabriel was thinking of either. It was Sam.

"We all got our stories Johnny B. Good, I bet she does too." In fact, he could bet on it. Hunter. The whole lot of them too. Campbells. They didn't hunt deer. Oh no. This family went after monsters. Yup, monsters. Things that go bump in the night. They came from a long line, and it wouldn't be stopping with them or Sam and Dean for that matter. Cas and Dean were all ready working on that on their side of the time line. Yes, they were two males, but hey, there were perks to being Angel Version 2.0.

"No," John repeated himself. What he's seen and did. It wasn't pretty. It was that shit that kept him up at night, crying out.

"Geez Louise!" Gabriel said with tossed up hands. "You Winchesters!" he slipped.

"There is only one of me Gabriel."

"Well, sometimes I feel like there is more of you! You can annoy the crap out of some one times two you know?"

John laughed. Took his cup and dipped it his friend's way. "It takes one to know one." he paused after he drank some of his diet soda, and smirked. "Bitch."

"Jerk." Gabriel returned.

John nearly dropped his glass when Mary snuck up behind him. "Are you boys behaving over here?" She leaned herself on John's side of the booth. She wasn't close enough to touch him, but she was beside him. That's what matter.

"I'm an Angel," Gabriel declared with a large grin.

Mary and John exchanged soulful looks. Yeah, right. They thought. Gabriel Novak was far from anything Angelic.

The funny thing was, the last laugh was on them. If they only knew.

"I'll take that as a no." Mary replied with a smile that showed off her dimples.

Her smile was contagious. John found himself smiling. Then again, Mary had that effect on him, more than actually but we won't go there. Not the time or place.

"Are you two done? Want anything else?" Mary questioned, leaning over to take their plates away. She leaned in more John's way, which caused him to blush.

"Yeah, got any of that Apple Pie?"

Mary laughed. "Should've seen that one coming Gabe. You and that sweet tooth of yours. If your not careful, it might get you trouble." And that's when Mary shot him a look that said she knew his dirty secret. It wasn't the Angel part, but The Trickster part. Her family has come across them before and she hated the nasty buggers but she might hold the exception with this one considering he was hanging around John Winchester. However, if that sonabitch hurt John, he would have Mary to answer to. "Coming right up. What about you Johnny B. Good?"

"No, I'm fine thanks," he told her and went to pull out his wallet.

"Don't worry about it," Marry said. "My treat."

"No, I couldn't."

"You're not," she winked at him. Then she made her way over back behind the counter.

"Hey, what about me?"

"You're fending for yourself!" she called back at Gabriel.

"I swear... What the...?" Gabriel questioned jokingly. "I get no love."

"Oh quit your belly aching. I got you."

Mary came back with a slice of pie for Gabriel.

"Here," John said, and took care of Gabriel's dinner and desert.

"I all ready told you," This was why Mary liked John. He was a sweet heart, and she would be lying to herself if he wasn't the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

"I know, but I'm taking care of him this after noon,"

"Someone should," Mary said. "Better be thankful for your friend Novak."

"Oh believe you me doll face, I am." He put up his hands. Gabriel wouldn't argue to that. He smiled at her then dug in. He would swear this is the best pie in all of creation. Then again, Mary was the one who made it. Go figure.

Mary rolled her eyes at him, but they went back to John when she took his money and their hands brushed. It was like a shock of electricity went through her. It was as if she'd been in Zombie mode and it wasn't until this very moment she was shook wide awake.

Dammit if John didn't feel it too. He sat, she stood, their hands connected. Eyes locked. John didn't believe in much, but shit, if he didn't think she was the one.

"MARY!" her boss man was the one who shook them out of the reverie.

They jolted apart as if they had been burnt and Mary scurried off to take care of another costumer, much to her disappointment. She was all ready looking forward to next Friday.

Gabriel was smiling to himself all the while as he eat his pie. He finished just as Mary had walked off, with John looking after her with that longing in his eyes.

"That was good." Gabriel was speaking of the pie and the moment. Of course, the moment wasn't over yet. "I mean really, you have all the courage in the world to fight a war, but you can't bring yourself to talk to a girl?"

That was pretty much it. It wouldn't be today that John Winchester would get the nerve to ask out Mary Campbell. Actually, it would take a couple of weeks from now, giving him enough time to practice on Gabriel with Gabe calling him an idjit all the way. Mary would indeed say yes to John, and end up leaving Gabriel Novak alone for now.

And if your wondering about the whole Novak thing, don't think that Gabriel didn't do that on purpose. He needed that last name to provide evidence of connections and relations because in the end that's what it all lead down to because later down the line he would add another son to the crop of children he had spread out on this planet. Jimmy Novak was one of them. Why else do you think that Jimbo was special, that it was his blood? He had no idea that his dear old dad was Arch Angel. That kiddies was the beauty of it all. He was known as The Trickster for a reason. He would have everyone fooled by the end of it.

Loki would have to say that this would be his best trick to date.

**END **

**A/N: (continued): **Had to add Gabriel for good measure because he's awesome.


End file.
